Klaine Superhero Drabbles
by whitesheepcbd
Summary: A series of drabbles inspired by Rainjoy's superhero AU, All the Other Ghosts. A longer explanation can be read at the beginning of Chapter One. Posted with the original author's permission.
1. Public Relations

**This series requires a bit of explanation, so please bear with me for a moment. **

**These drabbles were inspired by Rainjoy's amazing superhero AU, All the Other Ghosts, which I strongly encourage you to read if you haven't already. For the purposes of reading these drabbles, all you need to know is that Kurt is The Ghost and Blaine is Phalanx. The story is set in New York. Anything else would spoil All the Other Ghosts for you.**

**I can't link the original fic here, but go to Livejournal and search for rainjoyswriting. The first fic is complete in 30 chapters. She's now working on a sequel titled Grey, which currently has five chapters posted. Caution: bad things can and will happen to superheroes in this AU. There's a long list of warnings on Ch 1, please read and heed because Rainjoy is serious about those warnings. **

**However, these drabbles are intentionally fluffy and light-hearted. They're being posted here and on my LJ with the original author's permission. If you read AtOG, you'll see that fandom plays a large part in the AU, so much so that it has inspired its own micro-meta-fandom. (Pretty sure that's not a real word, but you get the gist.) Therefore, it has its own Tumblr, fuckyeahtheghost. My drabbles were originally posted there, along with fics and artwork from many many others. These fics and artwork can be enjoyed along with AtOG, just follow the links from Rainjoy's posts. **

**This is the first of three AtOG drabbles that are already written. I'll post the other two over the next two days. I'm working on a fourth drabble now which I should be able to post soon. After that this series will be updated sporadically, dependent on my real life commitments and how events in Grey may inspire me. **

**And now, after this long rambling author's note, I hope you enjoy the story!**

* * *

_And our final story this evening…New York City's resident superheroes, or super menaces, depending on who you ask, have been spotted at playgrounds all over Manhattan. That's right, over the past several weeks The Ghost and Phalanx have been making random visits to chat up their smallest fans, usually at dusk. Although The Ghost has been active in New York for much longer and is much more famous, in this apparent public relations effort it's The Ghost's recently acquired sidekick Phalanx who seems to be taking the lead. Phalanx is always visible and talking to the children, according to witness accounts. The Ghost may or may not be visible, but he is believed to be nearby based on Phalanx's sudden appearance and disappearance. Although intelligence about these supers is not abundant, it is believed that only The Ghost has the ability to turn invisible, therefore Phalanx's disappearances are attributed to The Ghost. One mother said that when she asked why they were there, Phalanx replied, "We just want the kids to know that we're the good guys." That's all for us here at Channel Two News, goodnight everyone._

Phalanx stood in the shadows on the edge of the Thompson Street playground, holding The Ghost's hand and watching the children play. In the few moments since they'd arrived, coming up through the ground from the subway, two mothers had already called their children away. There were three children still playing. The streetlamps came on at the same time that another mother called, "Brooke, you have five more minutes."

The only girl left on the playground, a pigtailed blonde pumping herself as high as she could on the swings, immediately started dragging her feet on the ground to stop. She jumped off and ran over to two boys on spring-loaded animals, rocking with such abandon that their heads nearly touched the ground each time they went back.

"They're gonna get whiplash," Phalanx murmured.

"Can't be worse than riding behind you down ten stories on one of your shield slides," The Ghost replied, also sotto voce. "Is it your goal to make me motion sick?"

"Hey!" Phalanx protested, a little too loud. The little girl looked in their direction.

"Shush until you're ready to be seen," The Ghost admonished him.

Phalanx held his breath till she shrugged and turned back to the boys.

"Jimmy, Dylan—you said you would gave me a turn and I have to go soon. Let me on!"

"We have to go soon too!" one of the boys protested.

"Besides, you can't do it as good as we can, you're just a girl!" the other boy added, still rocking furiously.

Phalanx felt The Ghost tense beside him, and looked over to see his eyes narrowed through his mask. He knew this was a sore spot for him. The Ghost had rescued too many battered wives, too many would-be victims of mugging or rape to be cavalier about any insult to women. Even playground taunts were unacceptable to him, apparently.

"This is how it starts," he muttered and took a step forward.

"Let me," Phalanx said quickly. He released The Ghost's hand and experienced that momentary disorientation of seeing his own body reappear. He'd gotten used to it, somewhat, but it was still an odd sensation to come and go from his own sight.

"Excuse me," he said loudly, walking up behind the children. One of the boys twisted around suddenly at the sound of his voice, lost his balance on the still rocking lion and landed unceremoniously on the wood chip covered ground. The other managed to maintain his seat on the fish but stopped pumping as he gawked over his shoulder. Only residual momentum kept him swaying back and forth.

Phalanx, however, was focused on Brooke, once he confirmed with a quick glance that the fallen boy was unhurt. She turned and then stood frozen, watching him approach, her mouth in a little O of surprise. He stopped a few feet away, not wanting to get too close and possibly scare her, and knelt down to her level.

"Hi, I'm Phalanx." He smiled at her.

"You're…..you're the one who fights with…..with The Ghost," one of the boys stuttered.

"That's right, I am," he answered. "And I'll talk to you boys in a moment, but I'm talking to this young lady right now." In his peripheral vision he could see the mothers approaching, but they didn't seem worried, they just wanted to see what was going on. He smiled at the little girl who hadn't stopped staring at him. "Can you tell me your name?"

Her mouth opened and closed a couple times before she managed to say, "Brooke."

"Nice to meet you, Brooke."

"Do you really know the Ghost?" she asked in a whisper.

"I do, yes. We work together all the time now. In fact," he leaned closer and lowered his voice to a stage whisper, "he came here with me today, but he's hiding because he's a little shy."

"My big sister met him," she blurted in a louder voice. "She said he rescued-ded her when a man tried to rap her."

"He tried to…..oh."

"It's true," one of the mothers spoke up. Her hair was auburn, not blonde like her daughter's, but they shared the same blue eyes. "Bree was fifteen when she was late coming home one night. There's a knock on the door and there she stands with The Ghost. She was shaken up, and her clothes were torn but he'd given her his cape to wrap up in on the walk home, and stayed with her all the way to our door." Her eyes shone brightly as they filled up. "He took his cape back and disappeared as soon as I was there. I never got a chance to thank him."

Phalanx listened as she told her story, knowing that there were many families in the city with similar tales who'd never had a chance to thank The Ghost. So often he disappeared as soon as his good deed was done. He looked back at Brooke, who still watched him with wide eyes.

"I happen to know," he confided, "that The Ghost has a hard time saying no to little girls in pigtails, especially when they're polite and say please. I think if you ask really nicely, he might let you see him."

"Mr. Ghost?" she raised her voice even though she still sounded tremulous. "Can we see you, please?"

Phalanx knew without looking when he un-ghosted himself, though he could tell by watching the small audience that they couldn't see The Ghost yet. He was probably still in the shadows. But he seemed to be developing some sort of weird extra sense that not only told him where The Ghost was, but when he transitioned from one state to another.

"Good evening everyone," his familiar voice came from behind Phalanx, and there went another boy onto the ground, toppling off his perch in his haste to dismount. He picked himself up hastily and stood at attention.

The Ghost knelt beside Phalanx, holding a hand out for Brooke to shake. She did, shyly. "Hi, Brooke. I'm The Ghost. But not the scary kind of ghost, I promise."

"I know," she whispered, taking her hand back and using it to twirl the end of a ringlet. "You saved my sister. She said you were really nice."

"I'm glad I was able to help."

"Excuse me, sir?" Brooke's mother stepped up beside her. "I'm Brooke's mother, and Bree is my older daughter that you saved that night. I never got a chance to thank you."

The Ghost stood to be at eye level with the mother. "You're welcome. Is Bree doing okay?"

"She's great," the mom smiled, picking up Brooke in response to the insistent tugging on her coat sleeve. She balanced the girl on her hip. "She's applying to colleges for next year."

The Ghost smiled, one of his genuine smiles that Phalanx knew he didn't show to the public very often. "I'm glad. Tell her I said good luck in college."

"We should go," Phalanx murmured. The Ghost acknowledged him with a nod before turning to the two boys who still stood watching in awe.

"We do have to go soon, because it's not safe for us to stay in one place too long. But before we go, I want a word with you boys." He squatted down again. "Come here, please."

The two boys looked at each other and back at The Ghost with apprehension before shuffling forward slowly.

"What are your names?"

"Jimmy," answered the one on the right.

"Dylan," the other whispered.

"I heard what you said to Brooke," The Ghost said in a calm voice. "You said that she couldn't do something as well as you, just because she's a girl. Do you really think that?"

Both boys looked down at the ground, not answering.

"I don't think that was a very nice thing to say," The Ghost continued softly. "I don't like it when I hear a person tell someone else that they're not as good as them just because they're a girl, or a boy. Or because their skin's a different color, or maybe they go to a different church. Or maybe they like to sing and dance instead of playing sports. I think we should all be equally nice to each other. Do you think you can do that, boys?"

Slowly, they both nodded, still looking down.

"How about you look me in the eye, and we'll shake on it," The Ghost said, holding out his hand.

Dylan seemed to gather his nerve first, looking up cautiously and taking The Ghost's hand.

"Can you promise me, Dylan?" The boy nodded. The Ghost held out his hand to the other. "Promise me, Jimmy?" Another shy nod, as the child took his hand and barely met his eye for a second before looking down again.

The Ghost stood, and turned back to Brooke and her mother. "It was nice to meet you, Brooke. Tell your sister hello from me, ok?" He held out a hand for her to shake, but instead the little girl lunged out of her mother's arms toward him, giving him no choice but to catch her. She kissed him on the cheek and then wrapped her arms and legs around him tightly, laying her head down on his shoulder.

"Thank you for saving my sister from being rapped," she whispered. "Bree hates rap music."

The Ghost looked over her head at Phalanx, who had to press his lips tightly together to keep from laughing out loud at the expression on his face. Then he found himself with his own armful of wiggly girl as she dove again, and got his own kiss on the cheek. He could feel himself melting inside. He leaned close to her ear, smelling strawberry-scented shampoo and he whispered loudly, "Word of advice—don't ever play hide-and-seek with The Ghost. He cheats."

"Do not!" he retorted in mock indignation.

"Yeah, you do," Phalanx maintained as he handed his cargo back to her mother, who was grinning widely.

"Using superpowers is not cheating, it's just using the tools I've been given."

"We have to go," Phalanx reminded him.

The Ghost snapped his mouth shut, cutting off whatever he'd been about to say. "You're right, we do." He gave a bow to the little group. "Goodnight, everyone."

There was a chorus of good-byes, which died out as he faded slowly from sight.

"Bye," Phalanx said in turn, reaching a hand behind him, knowing The Ghost was waiting to take it. He felt himself turn insubstantial and backed slowly away, watching their amazed expressions for as long as he could.

When they reached the edge of the playground, The Ghost whispered, "Going down," and Phalanx took a deep breath as they descended back into the subway.

They found themselves on the far end of a platform, with a train just pulling out of the station and the last few disembarking passengers disappearing up the stairs.

"Well," The Ghost said. "I suppose we'd better get to our nightly patrols, now that our public relations gig is done."

"We should," Phalanx agreed solemnly, nodding even though he knew The Ghost couldn't see him. "We need to protect the good citizens of this city from the horrors of rap music." Then he couldn't help it, he had to laugh. The Ghost tried to shush him, saying something about people being freaked by disembodied laughter in the subway, but then he was laughing too, their voices echoing off the walls and down the tunnel.


	2. After the Storm

**I wrote this after Hurricane Sandy-aka the Frankenstorm-hit New York and the surrounding areas in late October 2012. A week or so later, the same area got a heavy snowfall. Talk about adding insult to injury! I was in NJ at the time and experienced the same power outages and gas shortages as everyone else. And I wondered...how would the superheroes of the AtOG verse cope with the same situation? **

* * *

"So now I know what it takes to break The Ghost." Phalanx perched on a roof ledge, facing in to watch the cloaked figure pace back and forth and listening to the packed snow crunch under his feet.

"I'm not broken," came the retort. "I'm…..annoyed."

"I've seen you less rattled when facing fifty cops with weapons pointed at you, or Puckzilla, or even Pink Dagger's poisons." He didn't flinch at the glare thrown his way.

"I'm not rattled," The Ghost snarled. "I'm frustrated."

"You can survive on no sleep, you voluntarily put your life in danger every night, you hardly blink at Figgin's threats, but this, this is what does you in."

The Ghost stomped over in his heavy winter boots, not stopping till his knees hit Phalanx's. "I'm not done in," he gritted out. His gloved hands rested on the wall on either side of him, leaning in to stare at such close range that Phalanx's eyes almost crossed.

"Then what are you?" he questioned softly.

"I'm….." His mouth quivered beneath his mask. "I'm smelly!" he wailed, dropping his head to Phalanx's shoulder. "And I'm dirty, and itchy, and my hair is greasy! I haven't moisturized properly or washed this uniform in days!"

"There it is," Phalanx murmured, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend's shoulders. He'd known this was coming. Ever since the loss of power and water following Hurricane Sandy, his partner in crime fighting had become more agitated each day. The Ghost was able to ignore his own needs, including basic hygiene, as long as he was helping someone else. It was only after the immediate crisis had been dealt with that he'd begun craving a hot shower, which he couldn't get. Phalanx knew better than anyone how fastidious The Ghost normally was, and how intolerable his current disheveled state was to him.

"I can't take this anymore, I really can't," The Ghost leaned back to look at him beseechingly. "This is so much worse than what we do on a normal night. Give me an enemy to fight, or someone to help, I can do it. But how do I fight this?" He sniffled.

"Hmm," Phalanx pretended to think while rubbing back and forth soothingly over The Ghost's shoulders. "Bribe the repair crews with hundreds of your mouth-watering cookies, so they'll drop everything and fix your neighborhood next?"

"Can't bake without an oven," he reminded him wearily.

"Right." He paused deliberately before perking up with, "I know! We can use your contact at the police station to go in and use their locker room. We know they have power, right?"

"Seriously? That's your great idea? The police station?"

"I wasn't suggesting we go in uniform," he clarified.

"No," The Ghost stated. "Absolutely not. I'm desperate, but not desperate enough to get naked in a police station." He backed away from Phalanx's arms and resumed his pacing across the rooftop. "I guess we'll just have to wait till we get power back in one of our apartments. The latest estimate is that it could take another week." He sounded defeated.

"You know, lots of places in the city do have power back already," Phalanx reminded him. "And some people weren't willing to tough it out even for a few days, they left as soon as flights resumed and don't plan to come back till everything's back to normal."

The Ghost stopped and turned to look at him. "Are you suggesting that we break into someone's home to use their shower?"

"What if it wasn't breaking in? What if we had permission?"

"From who? Who do we trust enough to ask to use their apartment like that? The only one I can think of is my brother, and he doesn't have power back yet either, I asked."

"Your favorite medical student and his girlfriend," Phalanx answered with a look of triumph.

"You asked them?" he responded incredulously. "What, you just knocked on their door and-"

"I called his cell. Don't worry, I used a throw-away phone," he countered in response to the look on his boyfriend's face. "No way he'd be able to trace it back to me, even if he tried. And we both know he won't."

"OK, I'm listening," he responded in an even tone that made no promises.

"They left four days ago, and their power came back on yesterday, according to neighbors who they called for an update. They're flying back in tomorrow, but tonight their apartment is just sitting there empty."

"And you asked if we could use the apartment? They were okay with that?" The Ghost looked like he was considering it.

Phalanx laughed. "I think they consider this a small favor compared to all the times you've landed on their fire escape in the middle of the night needing medical attention."

"Won't these neighbors of theirs be suspicious if they hear people in the apartment and know that the occupants are out of town?"

"She said she would call them to say that friends might be using the apartment tonight. We'll ghost in, and the neighbors will just assume they didn't see us enter."

He resumed his pacing, while Phalanx waited patiently. He understood The Ghost well enough by now, to know this wasn't an easy choice for him. That as badly as he wanted to clean the sweat and grime of the past few days off his skin, his well-developed defensive instincts were screaming at him that there were so many ways this could go wrong.

The Ghost executed an about-face at the end of the roof, absentmindedly raising one hand to scratch at his head. Apparently not able to ease the itch through his gloves, he peeled one off and resumed his scratching.

"Careful," Phalanx admonished him. "You scratch much longer, you'll make yourself bleed."

The Ghost brought his hand down, looking at it closely. Was he really checking for blood? Then he brought the tips of his fingers to his nose and sniffed, instantly recoiling.

"Ugh, that's it. I can't take it anymore, let's go get showers."

"Finally!" Phalanx celebrated, standing on the ledge and waving his hand to produce a slide. "Shall we?" He held out his hand in invitation.

The Ghost approached and took his hand but didn't step up immediately. Instead he pulled Phalanx down to him.

"One thing," he said in an authoritative tone. "Are you listening?" Phalanx nodded. "Don't get any cute ideas about us sharing a shower. One of us will have to stand guard while the other cleans up."

"But….."

"No, Phalanx." The Ghost stepped onto the first green shield behind him, holding on tightly.

He started their dizzying slide down. "You know," he called over his shoulder, "they've been talking about water restrictions…"

"No."

"I'll scrub your back for you…"


	3. Close Call

**This drabble series doesn't make much sense without explanation, so please see the A/N on Ch 1 for that. **

**This little scene started out as part of a longer piece, which I realized wasn't going to work for various reasons. But I liked this particular bit and thought it worked well as a stand-alone drabble. **

**All superheroes have their secret identities to protect...**

* * *

"Phalanx...Phalanx! If we don't stop we'll never be on time. We have to get ready for work."

With a groan, he forced himself to drop his hands from his super hot super-boyfriend and step away as far as the limited space in the cramped bathroom would allow. There was never enough time or energy for them to truly enjoy their relationship. They were always exhausted when they came in from patrols and hurrying off to their other commitments in the morning, still exhausted.

The Ghost clucked sympathetically and leaned forward to kiss the end of his nose. "I know. But we have to go."

Resigned, he turned the door handle behind him, keeping eye contact till he had to turn and step out. The cold air in the bedroom hit his shower-warmed skin, making him shiver. But that was eclipsed as he took in the scene in his bedroom and fear stabbed burning icicles into his stomach.

His roommate stood in the middle of his bedroom, carefully inspecting the two superhero costumes he held in either hand. He looked up, smirking. "Really?"

"I can explain-" he started, then looked down at himself. No way could he have this conversation naked. He moved to his dresser, quickly pulling out a pair of boxers. With a deep breath, he turned around.

"I knew you were obsessed with The Ghost," his roommate said, the smile growing ever wider on his face. "I'm not all that surprised that you wanted to role-play having sex with him." Phalanx held his breath, waiting. "I just want to know one thing," he continued. "How did you get your boyfriend to go along with it?"

"I..." He worked to find his voice. "I had to promise to act out his role-playing fantasy next."

He raised his eyebrows. "Do I dare ask?"

Phalanx swallowed. "I don't know myself yet. He's...pretty adventurous. There's no telling what he'll make me wear."

Laughter rang out in the room before his roommate tossed the Ghost costume at him. "Damn, the sex must be good for you to agree without asking. Oh, and..." He held the Phalanx costume up, measuring it against himself. "You only _wish_ you were this tall."

"Hey!" Phalanx protested as he caught the second garment thrown at him. His roommate—his infuriating, privacy-disrespecting, nosy roommate—continued to laugh as he strolled out of the room.

"Make sure you think up something good for your fantasy, sweetheart," he drawled as he passed the half open bathroom door.

A long moment passed before Phalanx could make himself move to lock the door behind him. "He's gone. You can come out now."

The bathroom door moved slowly till The Ghost's flushed face came into view. Phalanx let his head fall back against the back of the door, closing his eyes in humiliation. "At least he doesn't know," he said softly. "But oh my God, that was..."

"Embarrassing enough to make you wish you could disappear?" The Ghost asked, fading out of sight as Phalanx looked his way.

"No fair! Take me with you! Aww, c'mon!"


	4. Ways to be a Hero

**As a reminder, I also post on LiveJournal and Tumblr with the same username. Links in my ff dot net profile if you want them. **

**Second reminder: If this drabble makes no sense to you whatsoever and you're wondering what this has to do with Glee, please see the A/N on Ch 1 of this drabble series. **

**This is written from the POV of a phanghost, a fan of The Ghost and Phalanx superheroes. She's telling this story to other phanghosts on the Internet. **

* * *

Hey, phanghosts-

Umm, I'm Casperbelle and I don't post here very often, I'm usually very cozy over in my lurker's corner. But something happened tonight, and I just had to share it with the only people who will understand why I'm freaking out right now.

But I feel like I need to back up and tell you how I came to be in that place at that exact time. It all started the night of the Ghost Vigil.

While I was on the subway back to my apartment, I got thinking about just how many people were there that night. That if we all did just a little something to help someone else, we could really have an effect, because there are just that many of us and God knows we have the passion. Ghostofasmile and Phantomphi were on to something when they had reps from charities at the vigil. I took cards from a couple of charities that night and called them the next day, leaving messages.

I already had plans that day after the vigil to visit a friend in NJ, so I was in a pizza place at Port Authority waiting for the next bus when a homeless man starts making the rounds begging for money. I told him I didn't have any cash, that's what my parents always told me to say to beggars since I was a kid. But as he walked away, I felt ashamed of myself. The Ghost wouldn't turn someone away like that. And it was only hours ago that I was so hyped up, gung-ho to go out and make a difference in the world. Then someone walks right up to me and asks for help, and I turned him down flat. Is that really all the conviction I have?

So I went after him and said I'd use my debit card to buy him a meal. So he ordered a slice of pizza, then asked me, "Can I get a drink? Is that okay?" And something about that just broke my heart. How humbling must it be to ask a stranger, 'Please may I have a drink with my meal, or is that asking too much?' I told him to get a drink, and also a salad or vegetables with his pizza if he wanted. He thanked me, saying that he hadn't eaten all day and wished me a good weekend. I watched him walk away and thought 'well it's something at least'. Didn't save anyone's life that day, but then how many can say they did, when they go to bed at night? Aside from doctors, fire fighters, and the superboyfriends, of course.

About a week later, I was done with classes for the day and was in the elevator headed up to my crappy apartment, and a mother and her little girl that I sorta know were in the elevator with me. She's a single parent, she works two jobs, and she always looks so tired and stressed. This afternoon the little girl was begging to go to the playground next to our building but the mom said she had an evening off for once and just wanted to relax.

And I had an epiphany. I'd inquired about joining the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, but you wouldn't believe the amount of paperwork you have to go through to get approved as a 'Big'. So I thought, here's a kid of a single parent right here in my building who could use an adult friend, what am I waiting for? So I offered to take the little girl out and the mom hesitated but eventually said yes.

So we went out and had a blast. I pushed her on the swings, we raced down the double slides, we did the monkey bars. I saw the mom looking out the window a couple times at the beginning, but then she must have decided to trust me. When it got dark and we came in, we found the mom fast asleep on the couch. We left her a note to come to my apartment when she woke up and tiptoed out. So I fed the little girl dinner, and then we made cookies and watched Enchanted on my laptop. When the mom finally knocked on the door just before eight, her daughter had fallen asleep. The mom apologized for leaving her so long but said she was so grateful for the extra sleep. And I told the mom honestly that I'd had fun.

But the next night I realized I'd jinxed myself. I really shouldn't expect volunteer work to be _fun_. It's supposed to be about helping others, not me enjoying myself.

One of the charities I'd contacted was the Food Bank, and I got a call that morning that they were short-staffed for something called Warehouse Repacking. So off I went on a Saturday morning, all the way to the Bronx, and spent all day lifting and moving boxes of food, helping to repackage it into smaller quantities, and loading it onto trucks for delivery to the soup kitchens. That night I was so tired I could barely stay awake long enough to soak my tired muscles in a hot bath without drowning myself.

Well, I survived the soreness, and later I heard back from another organization, a women's shelter. I was excited to get the call from them, because it seems like women's issues are really important to The Ghost. And me too, of course.

But volunteering there didn't turn out like I thought. I mean, I didn't expect it to be fun and games, or glamorous, but...maybe I'd at least get a thank you?

I was doing menial jobs that first night, like taking out the trash, folding laundry, prepping for meals. I was told during my orientation that I'm not really supposed to interact with the residents or try to help them unless I'm requested, because that's for the counselors and other trained staff to do.

But I passed by a little boy sitting by himself beside a door, holding a blanket but he didn't have any toys to play with or anything. I looked in the room and saw a woman talking to a staffer, I guess that was his mom. I didn't want him to be alone so I sat down next to him and tried to talk to him. He didn't say anything but smiled a tiny bit when I made motor noises with my lips.

Next thing I knew, his mother was standing over me yelling. Asking who the hell I was, what was I doing with her son, and I better not lay a hand on him. I was sitting there cowering and trying to tell her that I was just keeping him company, I just wanted to help. The mom snatched up her son and yelled at me that she didn't need any do-gooder's help before the staffer convinced her to walk away.

I just sat there shaking for a minute before I was finally able to get up, and I finished my shift hiding in the laundry room folding a mountain of towels. When I left that night, I wasn't sure I'd go back. Just didn't seem like I was cut out for this kind of stuff.

I think it was a few days after that when I went with my BFF to see a documentary called Girl Rising, it's all about the importance of educating girls in third world countries. The film followed nine girls in nine different countries where girls aren't typically educated, due to religion, culture, or their families just plain can't afford it. The movie quoted all kinds of statistics to prove that if you want to help a third world country, one of the best investments you can make is to educate girls, because then they'll educate their kids and it's a snowball effect. I was inspired enough when I got home from the movie that I logged onto the website and donated $25. It's not much, but I thought maybe if I couldn't hack it as a volunteer, I'll donate what money I can to a worthy cause.

Then I got a call from the lady who did my orientation for the shelter. She heard about what happened and said not to take it personally, that I have to remember I'm with women who have lost everything. They're at rock bottom and sometimes they take their worry and frustration out even on the people who are trying to help, but that doesn't mean they don't need help.

So I went back for my next scheduled shift, kind of nervous but I really wanted to stick it out for a while. And I was doing grunt work again, but after last time I really didn't mind it. I was perfectly happy to leave dealing with the residents to the people who are trained for it, and remind myself that someone has to take out the trash. So that's what I was doing, and I went to empty out the trash can in the front reception area, and the person manning the desk had to go to the bathroom and asked me to watch the front for just a moment.

The door opened, I looked up, and there he was. HIM. The Ghost. Right in front of me. I know we've all heard the stories about him showing up at rape crisis centers or battered women's shelters when he brings a woman in for help, but what were the odds of him showing up there? On the night I'm working, when I just happen to be the only one up front?

I know I stood there gaping, and saw that he was bleeding from a cut on his arm. I'm ashamed to admit that at first, I didn't even notice the poor girl he had with him. She was clinging to him and he was practically holding her up, and he finally said to me, "She needs help." I need to squee for just sec here, because his _voice_. It's like wind chimes. The few staticky audio clips we've heard on the Internet don't do it justice.

And then-OMG, I'm so embarrassed to admit what I did next. In an award-winning moment of idiocy I said, "I'm just taking out the trash." And as soon as the words were out of my mouth-too late to take the stupidity back-I snapped out of it and called for the shelter director. And I went over to try to help him support the girl, who looked like a teenager. She was crying and wouldn't let go of him. Our director Ms. Liz came out of her office with a coffee cup in her hand and there's a uniformed policeman right behind her. Dunno WTH he was doing there. The Ghost jerked back, like he was trying to back away, but the girl still had hold of him.

We all know the police have orders to arrest him on sight, but the rumor is that not all the policemen agree with those orders. I turned to look at the policeman, hoping maybe he was one of the nice ones, but he was reaching for his gun and his face was lit up like it was Christmas morning. It couldn't have been more obvious that he was planning to arrest the Ghost, and of course he can disappear when he wants, but he could hardly drag this traumatized girl away with him and she wasn't letting go.

The policeman had pulled his gun and was aiming at the Ghost, but Ms. Liz walked right in front of it. She pulled me back, shoved her coffee cup in my hand, then she put her arm around the girl and said, "Honey, I promise we'll take care of you, but you have to let go of him now. It's not safe for him here." I got the impression that it wasn't the first time Ms. Liz had seen the Ghost.

She finally let go and turned into Ms. Liz instead, who patted her back and kept talking to her, while the Ghost faded away before my very eyes. The cop was yelling halt, but the Ghost was just gone, leaving only a few drops of blood on the floor.

I think the cop and I both saw the blood drops at the same time, and both had the same thought-DNA. I saw him reach for his belt again, and figured he was getting something to collect a sample, so I just casually tipped the cup in my hand and poured coffee all over the floor, making sure it splashed over the blood.

The cop was so furious that he almost turned purple. I might have laughed at him if he weren't still holding a gun. Instead I just said, "Oops," and looked at Ms. Liz. She was still holding that poor girl who hadn't stopped crying through all of this, and she looked at me over her head and winked. "I guess I'll just get something to clean that up." I passed by the cop who was standing frozen with his hand on his utility belt, and went in the janitor's closet.

I was reaching for a mop when I felt something brush by me, it was like a really mild spring breeze, and then HIS voice next to my ear saying, "Thank you. You're my hero." I automatically turned and looked for him even though I knew I wouldn't see anything. I'm sure he was walking through walls making his escape, while I stood there hyperventilating.

When I calmed down enough to remember why I went in there, I got my mop and went to clean up the spill. The cop was gone and Ms. Liz had taken the girl away for counseling. I never got the whole story, not even her name, but Ms. Liz told me that the Ghost saved her before anything really bad happened. The girl was mostly just very scared and upset. Ms. Liz called her mother to come get her and said she would be okay.

Now excuse me while I go bronze my ear or something. I may never wash it again, because the Ghost breathed on it. I'm going to go to bed tonight reciting, "The Ghost called me a hero. The _Ghost_ called me a hero. **THE** Ghost of freakin' New York called me a hero!"


End file.
